100 LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 



Audubon Sails from New Orleans foe England on board the Delos — 

 Mother Carey's Chickens — Death op a Young Alligator — Incidents 

 OF THE Voyage — Habits of Dolphins — Meat tested fob Poison — 

 Rice Bunting reaches the Ship, and is captured by a Peregrinf, 

 Falcon — Catching Euddbb-fish— Successful Spobt. 



" April 2Gth, 1826. I left my wife and son at Bayou Sara for 

 New Orleans on my way to England, and engaged a passage to 

 Liverpool on board the ship Delos. The vessel did not sail 

 as soon as expected, and I was necessarily delayed at New 

 Orleans. I obtained several letters of introduction from persons 

 in New Orleans to friends in England, and one from Governor 

 Johnson of Louisiana with the sea,l of the State on it, which 

 saved me the trouble of getting a passport. 



"On the 19tli of May the steam-tug Hercules towed tlie 

 Delos out to sea, and with light winds we pursued our voyage. 

 The time was pleasantly spent shooting birds and catching 

 dolphins and sharks, from which I made frequent sketches. 



" May 27. Had Mother Carey's chickens following us, and 

 desired to get one of the beautiful birds as they swept past 

 pattering the water with their feet, and returning after long 

 ranges for scraps of oil and fat iloated astern. I dropped one 

 with my gun, and the captain kindly ordered a boat to be 

 lowered to recover the shot bird. I examined the bird and 

 found it to be a female. 



" May 31. Saw a small vessel making towards us; she was 

 a suspicious-looking craft, and our crew had pardonable fears 

 she might prove to be a pirate. A young fat alligator 1 had 

 with me died to day, from being placed among salt instead of 

 fresh water — the former being poisonous to the animal. 



